Step one, get past the iron door barring the cave. Luckily, it was only eight feet tall. I grimaced at a yell in my head. One of the down sides of being a telepath was getting sucked into impromptu rescues.
“I’m coming,” I sent back.
I’d slipped past enough ‘Keep Out” signs to understand this one even if I didn’t know the language. I focused on the pipe just above the door. There was a small pop, and then I was peering down an empty hallway. Teleporting had its limits so I decided to hoof it down the steep ramp, keeping an eye out for guards.
I’d like to say my superior stalking skills ensured that I wasn’t spotted on the mile-long path, but that would be lying. The bottom was another story. One of the guards managed to trigger an alarm before I knocked him out.
“Hurry!”
“I am,” I said, fumbling with the keys.
Some prisoners are just too darn impatient. A satisfying click heralded my success. The door creaked open…onto another door.
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
A few other choice words slipped out while I worked the second lock. Three more doors and a leg shackle later the dragon was free, sort of. She trembled as the guards charged, firing weapons. Dispensing with the usual dragon greeting, I grabbed her neck and focused on a field several miles away. A soft pop announced the teleport. Score one for Little Dragon; soldiers zero.
After a quick thank you, the dragon launched herself into the air. Seeing a dragon soar is a thing of beauty, and not one likely to be viewed on earth. Now, if I could just figure out how to teleport myself home. Or at least figure out what planet I was on. Danged. Sleep teleporting really sucks.
Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers. Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble. Will Tatiana flee or stay and fight for the new life she has built? Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.
